Sunshine & Freedom
by Malevolent Reverie
Summary: Phoebe Stackhouse is the half-sister of Sookie. She moves to Bon Temps to escape her past, but will she encounter even more difficulties in the strange Southern town? And what about the ancient vampire who takes a strange liking to her?
1. Bon Temps

**A/N**: I'm just posting this short intro chapter to see if anyone's interested before I get really into writing it. It's gonna be plot-driven, not driven by romance because that tends to make the story burn out faster. But don't worry, it'll be full of M-rated blood sucking and fangbangers. ;) This is A/U I guess. It takes place after the 4th season and Sookie chooses Bill. Godric is also alive in this. Sorry, but he's my second favorite character and he needs some justice.

**Pairings**: Eric/OC, Bill/Sookie

**Rating**: M because it's fricken True Blood.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine & Freedom**

**1: Bon Temps**

The last time I had been in Bon Temps, Louisiana was nearly ten years ago when I had just turned eight. I told my mother the only thing I wanted for my birthday was to visit with our unorthodox Southern family and she grudgingly agreed. That visit was the last time I saw my half-sister Sookie Stackhouse, who I shared a father with, and we fell out of touch after that. After a while it seemed awkward to call her up and ask to come down again to catch up.

Unfortunately, things change. My father died years ago when I was young and mom passed away a few months ago, luckily just after I turned 18. It only took a few nights of sitting alone in our big, empty house for me to decide that New York just wasn't my cup of tea any more. So I sold the house and chose to relocate to the Deep South so I could be with the remaining members of my family. I hadn't bothered to give Sookie a call before hopping on a plane, but she was pretty welcoming. I'd be in her house a week; tops. Then I could buy my own house and live comfortably.

The closer my cab brought me to my half-sister's house, the more nervous I became. I started sweating and primping my hair in the rearview mirror, hoping she would recognize me. We didn't look very much alike—she had blonde hair, mine was brown. She was beautiful while I was a bit plain. The only defining feature I had was my set of glasses that never left my side. I took a deep breath and checked my cell phone for any new texts but there were none. Of course. She had no idea I was coming.

The driver stopped outside Gran's house and started unpacking my bags so I could reintroduce myself to Sookie. She inherited the house when Gran was tragically murdered and it seemed to be in better condition than the old days. She could have come across some money, maybe from Gran's life insurance, and used to fix up the massive farmhouse. That or she had friends in high places.

It was fragrant in the South, especially in the backwoods area where Sookie lived. The air was clean and fresh; not yet tainted by the big industries and pollution the North struggled with. Being in my ancestral home made me feel oddly at peace. I was leaving my old life and beginning a new one. Bon Temps offered a clean slate and I could stop blaming myself for my mother's untimely death. She had me when she was my age. It was unlikely she died from a heart attack.

I knew vampires were involved when the doctors wouldn't let me see her body.

Still uncomfortable beyond belief and seeing no way to escape it, I knocked on the door just as the taxi driver dropped my bags beside me. I hastily gave him cab fare as the door was pulled open, revealing my long-lost half-sister. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she had a uniform on of some sort; the name above her left breast read "Merlotte's." I realized with horror that I had interrupted her getting ready for work. What a good impression I made.

"Phoebe?" she asked uncertainly.

"Uh, hi, Sook." I shrugged and jammed my hands in my pockets. Jeans weren't appropriate in the boiling Southern heat. "I should have called before, but—"

Sookie suddenly pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and I couldn't say another word. She knew why I was here without me having to say anything. I reached around her and hugged back fiercely, struggling to keep the tears from pouring out of my eyes. When we finally broke apart a few minutes later her eyes were puffy and red. I suspected mine looked the same. She wiped away her tears and put a big smile on, then leaned down to pick up some of my bags.

"Make yourself at home," she said, gesturing around the huge house. She put my things in the living room and I followed suit. "I've gotta get to work down at Merlotte's but you're welcome to anything in the house. I can't wait for you to meet everyone! Once you're all settled in you can come down and see what you've been missing down here. I bet Sam would love you to bits."

"Don't worry, I'm only filling up space here until I can find a house. My mother left me the house so I just sold it and figured I had to move on." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "Is that wrong?"

"'Course not. We all deal with grief differently, Feebs. I just went out last night to get cold cuts and some bread and jam with Bill, so help yourself to it. I'm sure you're hungry after a journey like that. I'll be back around 1:30 if you're even still awake then."

I nodded quickly and rubbed my eyes to quash the rebellious tears as Sookie gave me another intense embrace. She held me at arm's length to survey my appearance then kissed me on the forehead. Not much had changed about Sookie. She was still gorgeous and had the heart of a saint, though I knew she could quickly become just the opposite if she wanted to. Yet another thing I had to feel jealous of.

Sookie left a few minutes later and I was once again exactly where I didn't want to be in life: alone. I had roughly $200,000 in my bank account and I was seriously considering donating it to charity just to be with someone at night. The loneliness and grief I felt for my mother was crippling. But maybe it was just a passing emotion. I'd be able to move on and feel happy again. The only way I could do that was living on my own so I could forget all the wonderful memories.

Since my sister had been a bit preoccupied, I decided to give myself a tour of the house. I grabbed some of my things and lugged them upstairs while the sun set outside, hoping there was still an empty bedroom for me to stay in. Sharing with Sookie would be kind of awkward.

There was a small bedroom just past the staircase that seemed to be set up for a guest. A relieved sigh passed my lips as I collapsed on the huge bed and closed my eyes, happy to finally be resting. Unpacking could wait until the next morning. There was bound to be a place hiring in Bon Temps so I didn't worry myself too much with it. I had more than enough money to support me until I found something stable.

The prospect of buying my very own house was exciting. I'd go for something a bit cheaper so I had enough to get a passable car. All I needed was a one or two bedroom near Sookie's. I didn't have kids and had no intentions of having them for a while, so something small was preferable. A smile broke across my face, crusting the dry tears on my cheeks. This was my home now.


	2. Night On The Town

**A/N:** This is what a typical chapter will be like. I don't care for long chapters, tbh. I'm hoping to update a few times a week but I'm not making any promises. If this even gets reviews, lol. If not, I'll drop it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine & Freedom**

**2: Night On The Town**

The door groaning open awoke me some time later. I had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while, not quite willing to fall asleep. Sookie and I had a lot of catching up to do. She could pull it all from my mind with her weird telepathy trick, but I hoped she wouldn't. It was nice having someone to talk to besides myself. Or my old cat. I rolled my eyes at how pathetic my life was and swung my legs over the side of the bed to get up and see Sookie before she went to bed.

But she was upstairs and in my doorway just as I rose to my feet. I quickly sat back down and she shut the door gently behind her to give us privacy. Not that it mattered. We were alone in the house and as far as I knew, no one lived nearby. Sookie sat at the foot of my bed and patted the sheets as an invitation for me to sit beside her. The moment I did, she pulled me into another hug. She felt sweaty and smelled vaguely of beer and hamburgers. It wasn't exactly a good scent.

"I know we haven't spoken in forever," I said when we broke apart, "but I didn't know where else to go. You and I are still sisters and I figured now is as good a time as any to reconnect. How have you been, though? I see you're still working over at Merlotte's."

"Probably will be the rest of my life. Bon Temps isn't exactly the safe haven you were looking for, I think. Things have been… hectic for the past few years. But everything seems to have settled down and we're hoping to keep it that way. We've got humans and werewolves and werepanthers. Of course there's tons of vampires ever since they came out of the coffin."

My mouth went dry. "V-vampires?"

"Oh, yes. That reminds me!" Sookie held out her left hand to display a beautiful diamond engagement ring on her finger. "You have to meet my fiancé, Bill. He's very nice. Almost 200 years old but he still acts like a gentleman. Would you like to go to Fangtasia with us on Friday night?"

"Fang…what? Why are you marrying a vampire, Sook?"

"Fangtasia. It's a really popular vampire bar Bill and I occasionally visit. You haven't met any vampires yet, have you? Well we'll have to change that! They're wonderful people for the most part. The ones I know wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless the fly tried to hurt them."

"Sookie, he could kill you!" I said, putting my hands on her shoulders so she was facing me. "They can barely contain themselves around humans."

To my surprise, Sookie simply smiled and gestured for us to move elsewhere in the house. I couldn't believe it—my family was intermingling with the undead. Sookie had always been a very generous, caring person, but loving and marrying a vampire was taking it a little too far. She would be old and decrepit while he still looked perfect and young years from now. Then when she died, he would move on and love another woman the same way he loved her. He would never meet her in death.

We walked in the kitchen and I took a seat at the table while she put on a pot of boiling water for tea. It made sense why she was so perky late at night. That was when he beau was awake and active. Not that he had a choice in the matter. Sunlight would make him burst into flames while just being awake during the day caused them to bleed from different orifices. Being a vampire didn't sound as glamorous as movies and books portrayed it. Their lives were downright miserable.

Sookie placed a plate of cookies in the middle of the table and I snatched one up to nibble on while she explained herself. The North was well known for being more accepting of supes than the South, but even we had difficulty granting them the same rights as humans. Werewolves were having more luck getting their rights and they hadn't been trying for nearly as long. I took a few bites from my cookie and Sookie took a steadying breath. She knew I had to be converted to her way of thinking.

"You'll never convince me," I said.

She rested her elbows on the table and cradled her head. "Tell me about it. It's a good thing Bill isn't coming over tonight or you would've been in for a real surprise. You know they had nothing to do with the death of your mother. You can't blame them for something a group of cruel teenagers did."

"The only reason they would even hesitate to show a body is when vampires are involved. I know they're afraid of people being against their silly rights movement." I finished my cookies and picked up a new one off the tray. "Maybe yours is nice but I don't like them as a general rule."

"That's it. We're having our tea and going to Fangtasia. Tonight."

"Hell no!" I said, giving her a dirty look. "You can be involved with vampires and I'll put up with Bill as long as I'm here, but there is no way I'm going to some seedy vampire bar. What if one of them tries to… you know. Bite me against my will?"

"You've gotta be more understanding, Feebs." Sookie raised her head when the bubbling water caught her attention and rose to make us some tea. "A night out with the undead will do you some good. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet a nice vampire and learn what all the fuss is about."

It was hard to keep arguing after I had a few sips of tea. Maybe she was right. I'd been cooped up in the house too long. I was young and vibrant; I should be living my life instead of dreading waking up each day. When we finished our drinks and were heading upstairs to get ready, I realized there was a big hitch in our plan. If we were going to a bar, I wouldn't be able to tag along.

"Sook, aren't you forgetting something?" I asked while she pulled her ponytail out.

"I don't know, am I?"

"I'm not 21. That means I can't go into any bars, regardless of who they serve. If the owner finds out an underage person is there he'll be pissed. You can have Bill come over here if you want."

A mischievous grin spread across Sookie's face and she stopped on the stairs to face me. "Don't you worry about that. I know the bar owner personally and I don't think he'll give you any grief about being in there. Just make sure you stick with me and don't buy any alcohol."

We separated on the top floor and I hurried into my room to start getting ready. I picked out a plain black sundress that had a crisscrossing back and pulled my thick brown hair into a ponytail. Makeup was something I only used on special occasions. My glasses tended to fill out my face well enough. But I put on some pink lip gloss, spritzed on perfume, and stepped into a pair of pink flats. I twirled in the mirror and was happy with the results. Hopefully I looked presentable for a vampire bar.

My heart was pounding with a mix of excitement and fear as I waited for Sookie near the door. I was going to break the law and enter a bar underage. This bar was swarming with vampires, who I had sworn to have hated a while ago. I still felt as though they had been the ones who murdered my mother. Perhaps spending the night around them would help me gain closure. Or I could study them and figure out if they really could have been the killers.

I paced nervously and the clicking of my shoes on the floors echoed throughout the house. Was it a bad idea for me to be involved in law-breaking activities when I hadn't even bought my own place in Bon Temps yet? I tried not to think of the massive amount of money in my bank account because it tempted me to spend it all on something frivolous. Sookie would probably let me live with her if worst came to worse. God, I had just arrived eight hours ago and I was already feeling more alive than I had in months.

When Sookie came down the stairs I felt more confident about my choice in clothing. She was wearing a sundress, too, but hers was decorated with flowers and very vibrant. It matched her personality. We were about to step out the door when she suddenly stopped and closed her eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"No, I'm just calling Bill. He'll probably want to tag along."

"Oh God, my first vampire. Is he gonna try to eat me?"

My sister opened her eyes and looked a bit concerned, but said nothing.

We moved out to the porch and a blur of black raced across Sookie's lawn to stop dead in front of her. It took me a few seconds to realize the insanely fast mass had been Bill, the vampire who was marrying in to my family. He was slightly taller than me which made him average height, and he had black hair paired with brown eyes. I didn't need an introduction to know he was from an age long lost when he took Sookie's hand in his and gently kissed it.

Bill turned his attention to me a few seconds later and politely inclined his head. "Nice to meet you, Miss Phoebe. Do you and Sookie share the same surname?"

"We do," I said, awkwardly bowing back.

I had to admit that I could see why Sookie liked her vampire so much. He wasn't too tough on the eyes and apparently had a good personality to match. Of course, I had only met him minutes ago and couldn't make a good judgment yet. He and Sookie kissed then we headed off toward her beaten up yellow Honda at the end of the driveway. Bill opened the passenger door for her and opened the backseat door for me in a flash. His speed was shocking to see in person.

Once we were settled in and driving off toward Fangtasia, Bill broke the silence. "Sookie and I discussed you earlier at Merlotte's. That's how I know your name." He turned to smile at me and somehow kept driving perfectly straight. "I hear you're from New York. Very busy place. Bon Temps is quiet, for the most part. There's the occasional supernatural issue, but they're all very hospitable."

"Phoebe is actually looking for a house," Sookie said, contributing to the one-sided conversation. "Realtors run late-night showings if you want to go tomorrow."

Apparently everything had to involve her undead fiancé. I nodded and smiled like I was happy with the idea of wandering around in the middle of the night to look at houses when I could barely see them. What the hell was the point? Sookie had a strange attachment to Bill and the longer I watched them talk, the more curious I became. It wasn't normal. Not sickening or eerie, just… foreign.

Vampires were kind of uncommon up North so I knew very little about them. I leaned my head against the cool window and closed my eyes while the lovers conversed up front. Being in a bar full of the undead would teach me more than I needed to know. I was halfway hoping it would douse the flickering interest I had in vampires so I didn't have to deal with their strange lifestyles. Nothing would be worse than worrying about my boyfriend bursting into flames from going outside.

Just when I began to dream about transforming into a vampire, someone reached back to shake my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see a glowing sign across the parking lot reading "Fangtasia." It looked less than welcoming. A woman was standing outside with her hands on her hips, appearing less than pleased with the patrons entering the bar. I rubbed my eyes and yawned as Bill and Sookie got out of the car.

"How do you do it?" I muttered as Sookie helped me out. "You're up all day, work all night, then really late you're with your fiancé. I'd be fucking exhausted."

"You get used to it." She dusted off my dress and took Bill's hand. "Now, remember what I said. Stick with me, no matter what. Pam shouldn't give us any trouble with you coming in, but I don't trust all the vampires in there. You're young and they all like that kind of thing."

Dread crept into my gut as we walked toward Fangtasia. Was I making a mistake?


	3. Curiosity Killed The Cat

**A/N**: Eric's going to be 100% pure dick in this. That's my favorite Eric.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine** **&** **Freedom**

**3:** **Curiosity** **Killed** **The** **Cat**

We strode confidently across the parking lot to the black front door where the sound of booming music could easily be heard. Well, Sookie and Bill looked confident. I shuffled uncomfortably behind them, feeling out of place in my little black sundress. The woman manning the door was wearing an outlandish leather getup like she was involved in BDSM. The thought of it made me shiver.

Sookie smiled evenly at the woman when she stopped us. "Pam, I need a favor."

"No," Pam said, cocking an eyebrow. "Any more stupid questions, or are you done wasting my time?"

Her rudeness came as a surprise to me and I found it hard to hide my reaction. People were rude and always rushing in New York, but Pam took it a step further. Sookie folded her arms and gave Pam a cold glare while Bill's vampire eyes did a fantastic job of intimidating her. Watching the way they interacted made me feel even smaller and less comfortable than I had before. Why did I agree to go to a vampire bar? Something bad was bound to happen when you were gyrating on an animated corpse.

"This is Phoebe," Sookie said, stepping back slightly so I was thrown in the limelight. "Phoebe, this is Pam, one of the owners of Fangtasia. Normally she's more agreeable than this."

"Not really," Pam said. Her emotionless eyes raked down my body and a tiny smile twitched her lips. "My, you do like the young ones, Bill. There's no way she's going in."

"It's okay, I can just go-" I said.

"Unless you will take full responsibility of her," Pam interrupted, now staring at me openly. "We don't want any mix-ups with the police. If I smell even a hint of booze on this pretty little thing, you can all kiss Fangtasia goodbye. Oh, and don't come crying to me if someone sinks their fangs into her."

Sookie thanked Pam profusely and we all stepped past her to head inside. Before I walked by, Pam grabbed my elbow and bent her neck to inhaled deeply near my throat. In those few tense moments, I could actually feel the pulse underneath my skin, pumping rich blood that vampires craved so much. She sighed contently and let go when Bill reached out to touch her shoulder.

No high school party I had been to could compete with the insanity inside Fangtasia.

The most overwhelming part had to be the sheer noise—I literally could not hear myself think. The bass was so powerful I could feel it reverberate through my bones and make my pattering heart tremble. People were wearing strange outfits and a lot of dog collars. It had to be a sign for something, but I was afraid to ask. I looked around in wide-eyed awe at the spectacle that was Fangtasia without worrying about how silly I must have seemed. It was my first time in a vampire bar.

Our group found a table toward the middle of the room and Bill left to get drinks for himself and Sookie. It didn't bother me that I couldn't drink. The thrill of breaking the law was enough. I wrung my dress in my hands excitedly and scoped out the room, trying to get a feel for their alien culture. Sex was nearly synonymous with vampires, which was why so many people were grinding against each other.

"This is interesting," I said loudly to Sookie. "It's like a melting pot of all kinds of people."

"Vampires really bring us all together," she replied, clearly happy that I was somewhat enjoying myself. "I'm gonna run to the lady's room quick. Bill should be back any second now so you won't be alone for long. Just don't go with anyone and try not to look them in the eyes."

She disappeared before I could protest. I sat awkwardly in my chair and watched the moving mass of people on the dance floor, all operating as one beautiful machine. It wasn't very stuffy due to most of the patrons being undead. My glasses fogged up a bit every now and then if a hot human walked by. Vampires were cold by nature and couldn't generate their own heat.

Eventually I lost interest in sitting at the table by myself. Instead of heading to the dance floor, I skulked around the edge of the dancers and toward a door near the back of the bar. I always loved exploring. Sure it was more dangerous when vampires were involved, but what the hell? It was time for me to stop living in fear of consequences and absorb what was happening in the moment. So I tried to turn the knob and was pleasantly surprised to find that it opened.

The moment the door opened wide enough, I slipped inside. It was frigid and dark—I fumbled around until I found a light switch. With the stairs illuminated, I walked down them and wound up in a strange place that seemed to be an old torture chamber. There was a rotating cog on the ceiling with metallic poles hanging down from it, and some chains were strewn about. Something squashed beneath my feet and I looked down to see guts spewed all over my shoes. My eyes followed a trail of blood on the cement and I couldn't help but move deeper inside.

When I reached the center of the medieval torture device, I was urged to stop. I crossed my arms to rub my biceps and peeked around curiously. It wasn't a very big basement but Fangtasia wasn't a very big bar. Were they killing people just downstairs while everyone was busy dancing? If so, it was my responsibility to tell Sookie and Bill what was happening. They could tell the authorities. Vampires couldn't be allowed to get away with murder just because—

"Is there something I can help you with?"

I spun around on my heel to see a very tall man looming several feet away with his hands clasped politely behind his back. He had blonde hair and from what I could tell, blue eyes. My heart skipped a beat when he cocked his head. The way he was acting said it all. This was a vampire; a very powerful one at that. He caught me snooping and I wasn't going to get away with it.

Acting nonchalant wasn't a skill I honed very well. "Uh…nope. Just uh, looking around." I rubbed the back of my head, accidentally messing up my ponytail. "Sorry to intrude on whatever you have going on down here. Things were kind of boring me upstairs, to be honest."

"My bar bores you?" he echoed. "That's a bit insulting, to be honest."

Shit. Of course I just told the ancient owner of a sexed up vampire bar that his business was boring me. My age meant nothing to him. I was like a blip on his radar. He had been alive for God knows how long and some silly mortal was telling him his bar was _boring_. Christ, he'd probably rip my heart out.

"I'm terribly sorry," I said. "I just moved here from New York and my sister went off somewhere with her fiancé, so I have no idea what I'm doing, really. I mean, I knew what I was doing when I came down here, but that was because I felt awkward sitting by myself upstairs. You know how it is being alone in a crowded room. You feel like everyone's staring."

"No, I don't know how that feels." The man glanced over his shoulder at the door and looked back at me a few seconds later. "How did you get down here? We keep the door locked at all times. Just to make sure no silly humans stumble upon our dirty little secret."

"It opened fine for me. I guess someone forgot to lock it."

"You're lying. Someone opened the door for you. But I suppose it doesn't matter. Be a good girl and come over here so I can make sure you don't tell anyone."

There was nothing in his words that suggested I'd leave the basement alive. I snatched up some chain links off the floor and wrapped them around my wrist, prompting the vampire to laugh and slowly walk forward. Blood squelched under his big black boots but his eyes never left my face. They had super speed so he could have grabbed me in seconds if he wanted to. When my back touched a wall I understood his angle: they loved feeling powerful. My fear was an added bonus.

"Who are you?" I demanded, clenching my chains.

"You're the one snooping around my bar." He tipped my chin upward so our eyes met and growled; two long fangs were suddenly glinting the light. "But you never came down here, did you? You're still upstairs with everyone else, having a good time. Isn't that right?"

The half-lidded look he was giving me suggested I should be affected by his words. Annoyed, I shoved roughly against his broad chest as a last warning before I threw the chains at him. The vampire scowled and held me to the wall by my shoulders, now staring intently into my eyes. The only thing it did was scare the hell out of me—his breath smelled of blood and death. His blue eyes searched mine for a few minutes and he finally let me down, but tore the chains from my grasp.

I pushed him again and felt my fear intensifying. Why wouldn't he let me go? "I'm sorry about being down here and I promise I won't tell anyone. Can I leave now?"

"Why can't I glamour you?" he asked.

"Excuse me? What the hell is a 'glamour'? I should've known coming here would be a big mistake."

"Are you related to Sookie Stackhouse?" He placed both hands on either side of my head so I was pinned against the cold wall again and lowered his mouth to my neck. Instead of biting, he simply inhaled. A low chuckle left his throat. "This is unexpected."

"She's my sister," I said, struggling to breathe. "Well, half-sister. What's it to you?"

There was a loud clang across the room and the vampire released me to face the newcomer, snarling and baring his fangs in the process. The moment I saw Sookie I tried to run to her, but my captor easily shoved me back and exchanged murderous glances with Bill. Thank God the two had figured out where I was. The way the man was looking at me made it clear I wouldn't survive for very long. I rubbed my neck at the thought of being bitten there.

"Let her go, Eric," Sookie said. "She's like me. Sometimes, things can just happen."

Eric didn't seem interested in allowing me to escape so easily. "It appears that you want to bargain with me, Miss Stackhouse. What can you give me in exchange for your little friend here?"

"Nothing!" Bill said as he took an aggressive step forward. "You will return Phoebe to us and we will leave quietly."

"Phoebe? What a nice name. She smells fantastic; exactly like a fairy goddess." Eric yanked me in front of himself and held my arms behind my back with one hand so he could carefully move the few strands of hair blocking my artery. His fingers were cool and long. "I'd quite like to keep her as a pet."

"Eric!" Sookie exclaimed.

"She could work here," Eric said, "and I will absolve her debt to me when the time is right. What do you think, Phoebe? Since you're so attached to the basement, you can clean it up for me. After that, you can come upstairs and—"

"I need a real job that makes money," I snapped. "I don't owe you anything. Let me go before I report you to the police."

Eric moved to strangle me and Bill was there in a flash with his fangs out for display. The two vampires exchanged cold glares for several seconds until Eric released me. I ran to Sookie and she pulled me into a tight hug, whispering something in my ear about not crying. It was hard to resist the urge to burst into tears. I'd played with my life. I could have been killed.

"I'll be expecting her tomorrow evening," Eric said, unabashedly staring at Sookie and I. "If she does have latent powers like Sookie's, I want to be privy to them."

"Go to hell!" The words left my mouth before I realized what I was doing. "I'll be sharpening a stake with your name on it. Don't come anywhere near me you undead son of a bitch."

"If I had feelings I think they'd be hurt. Bill, Sookie. Have a nice evening. Phoebe… I'm very much looking forward to your first night of work tomorrow." Eric kicked some spewed guts aside and grinned malevolently at me as he walked past us.

The remaining three of us made our way to the stairs when Eric was gone and I hastily explained what had happened, hoping it didn't look as bad as it sounded. Why wouldn't Eric be mad about me lurking around in his private business? It was true that he could have easily killed me, but he shouldn't have been thinking of such drastic measures. And what did he mean about the way I smelled?

When we were in the little yellow Honda and Bill was driving us back to Bon Temps, Sookie answered my unspoken question. "Phoebe, there's something we have to talk about."

"Shoot," I said.

"Well I didn't know this until too long ago when Bill told me, but you and I… we're not entirely human." She turned in her seat to meet my eyes so I could see how serious she was. "We're part fae. Which unfortunately makes us very attractive to vampires who can't control themselves."

"What the hell is a fae?" I asked.

"It roughly translates to "magnet for trouble," Bill interjected.

"We're fairies, Feebs. That's why I'm a telepath and that's how you unlocked that basement door. When our emotions aren't quite right, we can do all sorts of weird things. It isn't too bad, though. Eric can protect you from the other vampires in Fangtasia so don't worry yourself too much. Besides, it'll be an experience! You can learn all sorts of things about their culture."

I methodically banged my head against the window. I was a fucking fairy.


	4. Shopping Spree

**A/N**: This one isn't very exciting, either, but it's more stuff I have to get out of the way. Phoebe has so much money because she sold her house and everything inside it. Plus I would think her mom would have some money set aside. I didn't really think I had to spell that out but I guess so!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine** **& Freedom**

**4**: **Shopping** **Spree**

"You need to find a house by tomorrow night or you're going to be in too deep for me to help pull you back out."

Sookie had been reading my mind on the car ride home and she wasted no time in addressing the problem when we were safely in her house. Bill stood near the door to keep an eye out for Eric or any of his cronies; it was likely that Pam would drop by later on to make sure I wasn't doing anything suspicious. I was sitting ramrod straight on Sookie's couch in the living room, nodding silently whenever she started listing out everything I had to do.

"Eric is the last vampire you want to be twisted up with," she continued, sitting beside me and taking my hand. "You and I are gonna go find you a nice house tomorrow afternoon so we can make sure he doesn't try anything fishy. Bill and I will try to talk to him but I need you to stay inside in the meantime. Don't go out no matter what he or Pam says. They can't come in unless they're invited."

"Then why can't I stay here?" I asked.

"He…might have bought my house a while ago. If you have your own place then he can't come in, so you'll be fine. We just need to smooth things over with him."

"Jesus Christ. This is exactly why I didn't want to go to Fangtasia." I rose from the couch and headed for the door, snatching Sookie's keys on my way. There was no way I was waiting until daytime to start my house hunting. I wanted to be safely moved in before Eric woke up.

Neither Bill nor Sookie said anything when I started her car and took off toward central Bon Temps. I could barely focus on keeping the vehicle on the road through the thick rage and sense of helplessness. An ancient, insanely powerful vampire wanted something from me. And I was refusing to give it to him. I could buy a house, sure, but he could burn it down or tear it to shreds.

I parked outside a small realtor's building and hurried inside as if it would help keep vampires off my back. A woman who looked only a few years older than me was seated in front of a large oak desk, typing away on her keyboard and having a conversation with her Bluetooth. She had a lot of silver lying around, including a bottle of expensive Silver Spray. Vampires were probably their biggest customers but they weren't stupid enough to fully trust them.

The woman seemed to end her discussion a few moments later and smiled up at me. "Hello, how can I help you?"

"I need to buy a house. Tonight."

"Problems with the undead?" she whispered, removing her Bluetooth. "We can help you with that. Where were you looking to live here in Bon Temps?"

"I was hoping for something near the old Stackhouse residence. It's on the fringes of town but I like the privacy. Two bedrooms would be nice. It doesn't have to be anything really fancy." I opened my wallet and showed her my debit card. "My mother passed away and I sold the house, so I have all cash."

"You're…paying for a house with cash? Not a loan?"

I nodded as she rose from her seat. "Yes. I know it's kind of unorthodox but I really need to find a place by morning. Which is only a few hours away."

The realtor gladly shook my hand and introduced herself as Marie Osment. She wasn't nearly as concerned as I was about finding a house quickly. We talked a bit more about housing possibilities and she led me out the front door again with a bottle of Silver Spray in her hand. She certainly fit the role of a realtor: short, curly hair, perfect white teeth, and a plain black skirt with a white blouse to not seem overly dressed. She seemed nice enough.

We went in her car instead of mine. The huge black SUV made me feel safer than Sookie's Honda. Marie handed me some papers with different housing listings and I pointed out a few that appealed to me. She was very organized and prepared, which I liked. Bon Temps wasn't prime real estate so there weren't many listings to go through. I pointed out three to her and we arrived at the first house within fifteen minutes. As we got out of the car, I could see the sun peeking over the horizon.

"This one is going for $120,000," Marie said, gesturing at the quaint house before us. "I could do $100,000 even since you're paying in cash." She produced a key from her pocket to let us in.

"The Stackhouses live nearby?" I asked.

"Yes, they're probably a five minute drive from here."

The house was exactly what I was hoping for. There was some stone work lining the building and it was painted a steel grey to accentuate that feature. The roof appeared to be in good, working condition and it had a small one-car garage attached to the side. There were two small windows on top, suggesting to me that the bedrooms were located upstairs and everything else was on the bottom floor.

Marie led me inside and brought me on a brief tour of the lonely house. It wasn't quite as old as Sookie's but it still had an old-time charm that made me feel strangely at home. The staircase to go upstairs was a few feet from the front door, which kept it from getting in the way if I had company. A small living room was through a door leading to the right while the kitchen was straight ahead. There was a new stove but the cabinets looked a little dated. If I only paid $100,000 for the house, I'd have plenty of money to get a car and fix things up.

We went upstairs to check out the bedrooms. One was straight ahead—it was smaller, definitely meant for guests. The master bedroom was at the other end of the hall, situated above the garage. The real estate company had already furnished the place which was just an added bonus. Marie showed me the upstairs bathroom, the only bathroom, on our way back toward the stairs. It was small and simple.

"We don't have to bother visiting the other places," I said when we were downstairs again. "I'll write you a check for this place right here, right now."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to make any rash decisions. Buying a house is a huge responsibility."

When I took out my checkbook, Marie stopped talking.

We sat in the kitchen at the table and I quickly scribbled out a check for $100,000 exactly to her real estate company, then signed the forms she slid in front of me. The moment my pen left the paper I felt a huge sense of relief. The house belonged to me. No vampire could harass me at night. Marie folded up the paperwork and put it away in her briefcase, laughing a bit.

"That's the easiest sale I've ever done," she said. "My boss is probably gonna cry. Thank you very much, Miss…I didn' t even get your name!"

"Stackhouse," I replied, "Phoebe Stackhouse. Thank you for your help. If your boss calls to talk to me, I'll make sure he knows what a wonderful realtor you are. This place is exactly what I wanted."

There was some more pleasantries exchanged but the sun was starting to rise fully into the sky and I had to get Sookie her car before she started to worry. Marie handed me the house key and I was more than happy to lock the door on my way out, feeling an empowering sense of security when I did. We got in Marie's SUV again and headed back into the center of Bon Temps, where people were starting to wake up and head out to work for the day.

Marie and I shook hands again before we parted ways and I hurried back to Sookie's house. The return trip didn't take as long as it did to head out in the first place now that I knew where I was going. The minute I arrived, she was outside with her hands on her hips and a less than pleased look on her face. I got out of the car and swung my house keys carelessly on my fingertip.

"You…already bought a house?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sure did. It's in my name and everything. You should come see it."

"Phoebe, you should've looked around a bit more. Buying a house is a big deal and you don't know anything about the place you just bought." Sookie checked her watch and groaned. "I guess we don't have time to argue. Do you need to go get a car, too? Or did you spend all your money on the house?"

"It only cost $100,000. She gave me a discount because I paid in cash. If you'd like to come back to Bon Temps with me to get a car, I would appreciate the company."

Sookie smacked her forehead with the base of her palm but followed me inside the house so I could collect my things. I hadn't even fully unpacked because I wasn't intending on staying very long. Still, it would be strange living completely on my own and I wasn't sure if I was ready. When all of my things were put away back in the duffel bags we loaded them into the car and headed back to town.

Buying a house had given me a straight shot of adrenaline. I wanted to buy everything. I still had around $100,000 lying dormant in my bank account and waiting to be spent. Thankfully I had Sookie with me, who was much better at handling money.

"So we're fairies?" I said, breaking the long silence.

My sister smirked at me. "Only a fraction, but yes. They're kind of frightening, though. I hope you don't meet any."

"Me too. I don't want to meet any other supernatural things."

"Then Bon Temps wasn't the best choice."

We arrived at a car dealership (Honda, of course) and parked Sookie's car off to the side. A salesman was immediately outside with a huge smile plastered on his face. He had a tweed suit on and his brown hair was slicked back—trying to play the part of a conventional salesperson. I had scarcely gotten out of the car when he offered me his hand for a shake.

"Ted Reynolds," he said, "and you two must know a vampire. No one comes out at the crack of dawn like this is they don't."

"I just need something basic," I said, avoiding his insinuated question.

Sookie had her arms crossed as we walked around the parking lot full of shiny cars. She wasn't too fond of Ted and his questions.

I knew a brand new car would cost me at least $20,000, so I opted for a regular Civic with a couple thousand miles on it and Ted let it go for $15,000. When Sookie and I were walking back to her car, I spun around to address Ted, who was still following us.

"You know what? Sign me up for another Civic. I'll give you $10,000 for it."

"Two cars?" Ted clairifed.

"The one I just bought and another one, yes." I turned and smiled at my sister, who was already trying to tell me not to do it. "Sookie has been very good to me, welcoming me home with open arms, and she deserves a little gift. Right, Ted?"

Ted was already gone, off hiding away the second check I wrote out to him. It was strange having so much money and power. I never imagined I would be playing with so much money, but I hadn't been intending on my mother's death, either. I put my house and car keys on the same loop while Sookie outright refused to accept the car because it was "too much."

When the salesman came back with the second set of car keys, I threw them at her so she was forced to catch them. "Let me do something nice for you, Sookie. All I'm gonna do is spend this on additions for the house, anyway. You're my sister and that car is kind of a piece of shit."

"It's a $10,000 car," she insisted as we headed toward the new vehicles. "You can't just buy me a car like that. I have to repay you somehow."

"You don't and you won't." I pressed the unlock button on my key fob and leaned against my bright red Civic. It was simple and basic. Those were words I intended to live by.

"Phoebe—"

"Take the damn car or I won't let you see my house," I said. "Now follow me so we can go have a full tour of the place in daylight. It was sorta hard to see at night."

Sookie threw up her hands in defeat and left to start her blue Civic. I slipped in my car and tossed my wallet on the passenger seat, feeling kind of depressed about spending so much money. The engine started and I remembered when my mother used to take me out for rides through the countryside, where we'd scout out deer and take pictures. It felt wrong to spend her money the way I was. But did I really have a choice? If I stayed back in New York, I would be alone in a huge house.

The drive back was full of doubts. I gripped the steering wheel as I thought of whether or not it was moral for me to sell the house and spend the money I got from it. My mother would want me to be happy, right? I had acted on impulse when I sold the house but I knew I had to get away. It was nothing but a mire of good memories that would wind up driving me crazy. I didn't want to stay there and remember everything. I didn't want to expect to wake up and see mom.

We parked in my graveled driveway (repaving it would be another chunk out of my bank account) and Sookie's eyebrows rose as we walked towards the front door. The house was as nice as I remembered it. I fumbled a bit when I put the key in the lock but it soon opened so we could step inside.

Sookie followed me through the already furnished house, admiring everything she could and agreeing that I had made a good choice in purchasing it. When we were downstairs checking out the small living room, she cocked her head and went over to check out an almost out of place armoire. It was pushed back away from the window and had a small hooked lock on it. Old fashioned.

"If this is what I think it is," she said, undoing the lock, "then you won't be very happy."

When she pulled it open, we both swore.

There was a set of metal stairs descending into the ground and the armoire itself was lined with thick sheets of the same steel. It was what I had feared: a vampire cubby.


	5. Snake In The Grass

**A/N**: I wasn't kidding when I said Eric is an asshole. Thanks for all the reviews, too! It's nice getting feedback.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine & Freedom**

**5: Snake In** **The** **Grass**

The realtor's office was shocked that I had failed to notice the vampire cubby during my showing with Marie and offered to give my money back. Their sincerity stirred my heart and I couldn't be angry, so I told them it was fine and I'd keep it locked up. The cubby itself wasn't a problem, but I didn't want people who came over for visits to think I housed vampires. They could assume I was a fangbanger and the cubby was where my hookups slept during the day.

Sookie helped me disguise the armoire so guests would hardly notice it. We sanded down the front of it to remove the designs and painted it the same color as the wall, making it look like the house had an odd protrusion instead. She was surprised I was willing to go to so much trouble to hide the thing but I wasn't afraid to tell her that I did not want to be labeled a fangbanger. If Bill made her happy that was a-okay with me. After my little experience at Fangtasia I was basically off the vampire fanbus.

We finished everything around four o'clock and made our way to the kitchen for dinner. I had unpacked my clothes and settled everything in to my liking, plus made a list of things that needed to be worked on, added on, or repaired. There wasn't much to worry about. The driveway wasn't a big issue and I wanted a more modern refrigerator than the one the house came with. I taped the list to the current fridge and sat down at the table while Sookie ordered pizza.

"I'll have to go grocery shopping tomorrow," I said, gesturing at the dimming light outside. "Marie had the energy and everything turned on for me so guess it's time to start paying the bills. I never thought I'd be out of my own like this so early in life."

"I've gotta admit that I'm impressed, Phoebe. You need to find a job soon though. That money won't last too long. Trust me, when Eric had to repay me for all the shit I've done for him, it just burned a hole in my pocket and I spent it all. My driveway still has loads of potholes."

"Should I go to Fangtasia and do what he said?"

"No," Sookie said firmly, "don't do anything Eric says. He's manipulative and I don't want to see you get hurt in the end. You had the right idea getting your own house to hide out in. Problem is, he'll be after Bill and I, too. If you don't mind, it'd probably be safer for us to stay here at night. He still owns my house and can come in whenever he wants."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you even asking permission?"

"Hey, I don't want to be rude! I'm not sure what I'm going to do about work. Eric isn't stupid enough to attack either of us at Merlotte's, but there's no guarantee about what could happen after. I think I'll be fine if Bill escorts me. He's still king and Eric is a subject."

Twilight had fallen by the time the pizza arrived. Sookie found some cups in the cabinet (for the money I paid, the house was a good deal—it was nearly fully stocked with basic necessities) and poured out some soda the pizza guy brought. She had to be to work by six do we didn't have much time. I got plates and took a slice out for each of us then eagerly dug in when she was seated again.

Sookie wasn't quite as hungry. She pulled off some cheese to nibble on and ultimately put the whole slice back down on her plate. "Do you ever think about dad?"

"No," I said without missing a beat.

"I should resent him more than you. He cheated on my mother with yours, after all."

"And karma came back to bite him in the ass." I almost swallowed a whole chunk of pizza whole. It felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks. "That's not to say my mother was completely innocent. But dad had a family to think of and he just… didn't. The only thing he was good for was bringing our families together, even if it wasn't under good terms. Our mothers could've been good friends if they wanted."

"You were only allowed to visit me as a birthday present," Sookie said. "I don't think they would have ever been on good terms."

I shrugged and focused on eating my pizza. Dad wasn't my favorite subject.

Sookie finished up and washed our dishes before heading out to work. We hugged again and I made sure she got safely to her car then headed back into the house. After I shut the door, I sighed happily. The entire house belonged to me. I had to pay for the energy and heating bills, but it was still _mine._ It was a safe haven from vampires and a place to be alone when everything outside became too much.

A cat or two would be nice company, though. I added "cats" to my list on the fridge and also scribbled down "security system." It wouldn't keep vampires out but it would drive away mortal intruders. I'd be a hermit by the end of the week with all my cats and alarms. People wouldn't call me a fangbanger; they'd call me an antisocial city girl and pester Sookie about me all day every day. That was how small towns worked: they thrived off of gossip.

The sun set and I went upstairs to take a shower. When I was squeaky clean and feeling drowsy, I wrapped myself up in a bathrobe and grabbed a blanket to snuggle up downstairs with a movie. I had to call the cable company to set up TV and internet, so I'd settle for _Zoolander_ until then. It was the perfect temperature for a flimsy blanket and I was tired enough to watch almost anything.

I had just started the movie when I heard rapid knocking on my door. It was probably Bill coming down to make sure Sookie had left for work. I already texted her to make sure she was safe. He worried about her too much. With a heavy sigh, I tossed the blanket on the couch and walked across the cool hardwood floors to the door. As soon as I pulled it open I wished I hadn't.

Eric was standing the same way he had in the basement with both hands behind his back. He didn't look angry, but I knew better than to try reading a vampire's face for his feelings. He was wearing a black jacket, black v-neck, and black pants. It was quite possibly the blandest outfit I'd seen yet in Bon Temps.

"Can I help you?" I asked, leaning on the door.

"You pulled a no-call, no-show on your first day of work. That doesn't sit right with me, Miss Phoebe."

"I'm not doing anything for you." I stuck out my tongue and tapped the threshold of the entrance with my foot. "You can't come in my house and I'm going to sleep anyway. So wait out here all night if you want. I'll be inside watching a movie."

"You can't hide from me forever," Eric said. "You are indebted to me."

"Kay, have a nice night."

I slammed the door and dusted my hands off proudly. Some rules vampires were forced to obey could prove to be useful. I shut off the lights in the kitchen and walked back to the living room, where I sat down on the couch and started the movie up again. When I snuggled under my blanket and my eyes were glued to the television, I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I glanced out the window but there was nothing there.

"So you have a cubby for me?"

A second check confirmed that Eric was standing outside the window I had just looked at. Vampires were incredibly fast.

I scowled deeply. "Piss off. It came with the house."

"How very convenient. You know, I was just taking a look-see around the perimeter of this wonderful home and I couldn't help but notice someone hiding upstairs. A strange man in your bedroom. He had these odd yellow eyes." Eric's eyebrows suddenly rose and he smiled. "Here he is now."

Growling preceded the threat. I slowly turned my head to see a wolf standing in the entrance of my living room, hackles raised and teeth bared. Saliva was dripping from its horrible jaws and pooling on my new goddamn floors. It didn't move from its spot but the ears kept twitching eagerly, like it was waiting for a command. I pulled my blanket closer to my body and tried very hard not to breathe.

It was either a very obedient husky or a fucking werewolf.

The wolf suddenly lunged toward me snarling like it was rabid and I screamed in terror, lashing out with my legs to kick the thing away. It latched on to my ankle and dragged me off the couch so I fell prone on the floor then continued pulling me through the house toward the front door. I was shrieking in agony; I had never been so petrified in my entire life. I managed to grab the side of a wall and turned on my back to the kick the wolf in the face, making it whimper and release.

I ran upstairs as fast as I could with my ankle leaving a blood trail behind. The wolf recovered soon enough and bounded after me, nearly seizing my leg again before I slammed the bedroom door in its face. When I turned the lock it started howling and scratching like mad, ramming repeatedly into the flimsy door until it would give way and break. I grimaced when pain shot down my leg and limped to the nightstand. There was a single lamp I could use to knock the thing unconscious if it broke in.

My heart was pounding so hard I couldn't hear anything else.

The door fell down with a loud crash and the wolf come running in with a murderous vendetta. I panicked and threw the lamp at it, missing completely, and it was on me in seconds. The urge to survive was so strong I could hardly believe how much of a fight I put up. I kicked and punched, eliciting squeals from the beast, but it had a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. When I tried to crawl away, bloodied and bruised, it straddled me and gently held me down by the back of my neck.

Through the thick haze of pain I saw Eric hovering outside my window with a self-righteous smirk on his undead bastard face. "Invite me in. Unless you want to die."

"You son of a bitch," I rasped.

The wolf pressed down harder on my neck.

Eric cocked his head expectantly. "My last name is "'Northman.'"

He set the whole thing up to force me to invite him in. If I refused, the wolf would drag me outside. Did I want to die in my brand new house or out on the lawn? My lip quivered as I spoke the words. "Mr. Northman, won't you please come in?"

The window opened and Eric floated inside, causing the wolf to let my neck go. Not that it mattered. I was bleeding from a few different places and couldn't move if I wanted to. Eric said something to the wolf and it skittered away downstairs, probably waiting to make sure I didn't rescind my invitation. He walked around me a few times and bent down in front of me to smile.

"You're a good girl when you want to be, Phoebe," he said. "Now, you have a couple options. First, we can stay here for the night and you can let me feed off you. Second, we can go to Fangtasia and you can clean up the filthy basement all by yourself. In the dark. Third, you can refuse those options and have your throat ripped out by a werewolf."

"Fuck off," I said with a grimace.

"I'll choose for you." There was a pop and Eric's fangs slid into view, inspiring my fear once again.

"Option two."

"I was being facetious. You're bleeding all over the floor. You can't do anything." He stroked my hair and licked the tip of one fang. "All you can do is lie there and—"

There was a flash of light and Eric was abruptly hurled back into the wall so hard it nearly broke through to the outdoors. I managed to lift my head to see familiar white sneakers near my head. When I was turned over, Sookie held my face steady between her hands. How had she known I was in danger? Maybe it was just a given. After all, it was my first night alone.

"Invite Bill in," Sookie said.

"Who?" I asked groggily.

"Bill, my fiancé, the king of Louisiana, the only one who can make Eric stop!"

I swallowed hard and spoke the words: "Mr. Compton, won't you please come in?"

The sentence had scarcely left my lips when Bill came flying up the stairs to grab Eric by the neck and force him against the wall. The two snarled furiously at each other while Sookie rushed to tear up towels for wrapping the wounds in my legs. The bathrobe had been torn up pretty bad and I was grateful for my sister's help. I was in a lot of pain but it didn't seem hospital worthy.

Bill threw Eric to the ground and retracted his fangs. "Leave this place," he said, pointing to the window, "and never return. If I even see your henchmen within a mile of the premises, you will meet the true death. It is against the law to force your way inside a human home."

"She owes me fealty," Eric said. "You were going to allow her to avoid it."

"Oh, shut the hell up!" Sookie snapped as she pulled the sheets off my bed. "Make yourself useful and go get some bandages before she bleeds to death."

"I am not a servant you can throw orders on." Eric pushed past Bill and stood at the side of the bed looking positively livid. "Either she comes to work at Fangtasia or I feed from her. I spared her life despite the unsolicited wandering she did last night. You know another vampire would have drained her before the two of you realized it."

"That doesn't give you the right to violate her home," Bill said. "I have only given you so much leeway because of what you've done for us in the past, but I will not stand for this."

Sookie suddenly rose to her feet and gave Bill a hard push. "Go get some fucking bandages! We can discuss this later when…"

My grip on reality was cut off. I fell into a deep sleep.


	6. The First Taste

**A/N**: This story draws on things from both the book series and the TV show. I didn't like the books, TBH. But the show left out some interesting things they addressed in the books. Like when a vampire gives a human their blood three times it creates a "blood bond."

**Disclaimer**: I do not own True Blood or anything affiliated with it.

**-MalRev**

**Sunshine & Freedom**

**6: The First Taste**

Sometime later I awoke to a cool compress on my forehead. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Sookie sitting beside me in a chair, gently dabbing away the sweat with a cloth. She smiled when she saw I was conscious again and set the cloth off to the side so she could take my hands in her own. I managed to raise my head a few inches to see that my door was back in place and the room had been cleaned up. That meant I had been out for at least a few hours.

"They're talking downstairs," Sookie said to answer my unspoken question. "The werewolf bit you up pretty bad but we cleaned the gashes out and wrapped you up. You'll be bedridden for a week, I'm guessing. Your job search is on hold as of right now." She grinned and offered me a cup of water.

I thanked her and took a careful sip, trying not to overdo it and throw up everywhere. The room was spinning like crazy; even the walls seemed to warping, pulling me into an abyss. I squeezed my eyes shut and rested back against the pillow to quell my nausea before it got any worse. They had cleaned everything up and vomiting would make my brand new house filthy again.

Sookie adjusted my pillows a bit and I grimaced as pain lanced down my leg. The wolf had bitten me the worst there, probably leaving bite marks that would turn into scars. I turned my ankle slightly to make sure it still worked and was relieved that it responded, albeit a little painfully. It had pulled me so hard I was certain my foot would come right off. The thought of it made me queasy again.

"I can't believe he let that thing in my house," I said. "It's a good thing you got here."

"Eric doesn't mean to be an ass; it just comes naturally to him. It's still against vampire law to bully your way into a human home so he'll be facing repercussions." She took my water back and placed it on the nightstand then turned her attention to the door. "They'll be back soon with a decision."

"Am I really going to have to work at that awful bar?" I asked.

"I hope not, hun."

"He tried to kill me. Certainly Bill won't—"

My bedroom door opened at that point and the two vampires came inside. Eric was leading the way with a smug look on his face, instantly making me dread the verdict. He stood at the foot of the bed and Bill shut the door gently behind them before turning to face Sookie and I. His face looked apologetic. I didn't know if I should start crying immediately or hold it back for later.

Bill glanced at Eric and cleared his throat. "Mr. Northman and I have reached what we believe is a reasonable settlement. We wanted to involve you, Phoebe, but you weren't conscious."

"Clearly," Sookie said.

"A coven of witches has appeared in Dallas. Now these don't seem as dangerous as Marnie, but we want to be safe. Eric has offered to absolve your debt if you accompany him to Texas and help investigate the issue. He will pay for all expenses and not bother you any more when you return. These witches may or may not be involved with vampires and Isabel has requested our help." Bill straightened his tie and gave me a look that said I should agree.

"He has to sign something saying he won't let any harm come to her," Sookie said, rising to her feet. "If Eric even tries to sink his teeth in her neck then the deal's off."

The ancient vampire shrugged indifferently. "Fine. Does this mean you agree, Phoebe?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice," I said coldly, "and even if I did you'd find a way to 'persuade' me to do what you wanted."

"She catches on quick," Eric said.

Bill shot Eric a dangerous look and offered his hand to Sookie. My sister bent down to kiss my forehead before she left with him, once again putting me in a bad situation. I hadn't rescinded Eric's invitation to my house and I had a feeling I shouldn't. He stood at the end of my bed with a cruel smile on his face. I was completely helpless, but Sookie wouldn't have left if she thought he'd try anything.

I glared at Eric furiously as he walked around the bed to sit beside me. "You got what you wanted. Why are you still here?"

"Why haven't you revoked your invitation?"

"Because you'll bully your way back into my house." I dragged myself to the left so my legs weren't touching his back. Vampires had no sense of boundaries. "This is a pretty elaborate scheme for me wandering around in your basement."

"You broke the law."

"So did you."

"Well I don't have body parts in my basement," I snapped.

Eric was suddenly straddling my body with his fangs fully erect. He covered my mouth with his hand when I began to protest and placed a finger to his lips. My anger was raging out of control—I furiously punched his ribcage half-expecting him to feel it. He was immortal. He didn't feel anything. His eyes searched mine for a few seconds and he lowered his mouth to my ear.

"It would be very bad for me if the human authorities knew what was in my basement," he whispered. "You're a mortal. You know how…pesky you all can be. If you don't keep that quiet I will rip out your spine and put it on display at Fangtasia. Do we understand each other?"

I nodded hastily and he took his hand off my mouth. "Christ, cool it with the intimidation."

"Humans respond better when they think their fragile lives are at risk." Eric gently brushed my hair away from my neck and inhaled deeply near my skin. "You smell exactly like Sookie. Tantalizing. If you let me have a taste I won't make you accompany me to Dallas. Just one little bite."

"Fuck off."

"Why do you use so much foul language? It isn't very ladylike." His fangs grazed my skin. Taunting.

"My blood can't smell that good," I said, hardly daring to breathe. "If you're hungry you can come grocery shopping with me. I'll get you some TruBlood."

"When you talk it makes your pulse touch my fangs."

When I pushed against Eric's shoulders he gave in and slid off of me, standing at my bedside like he had never pinned me in the first place. I wasn't feeling very sick anymore so I pulled myself into a sitting position and examined the bite marks lacing my flesh. The back of my neck ached terribly; maybe the werewolf had been holding me harder than I thought.

"You could've just asked nicely," I grumbled as I reached for my cup of water. "Sending a werewolf after me was kind of extreme. If you had told me about it in the first place I would've invited you in."

"I figured you weren't open to visitors when you slammed the door in my face. How would you like to feel better right now instead of lying in bed for a week?"

I stopped mid-sip and looked up at Eric. "Excuse me?"

"Would you like to be healthy now rather than wait to heal? I mean, who knows what could happen during that week." He sat beside me again and gestured at my sore legs. "A whole pack of werewolves could come in and you'll be completely helpless. Sookie isn't around to protect you now."

"It doesn't matter. Unless you have a miracle drug I'm shit out of luck. Seriously, what is with your werewolf fetish? I thought werewolves hated vampires."

"You can drink my blood," Eric said, neatly avoiding my question. He showed me the pale underside of his wrist and smiled. "It heals you as your blood heals me. All you have to do is take a couple sips."

My nose wrinkled up in revulsion. "That's absolutely disgusting. I'd rather bleed out."

Eric didn't reply but raised his wrist to his mouth. There was an unpleasant sound of teeth sliding through flesh and he showed me two oozing holes on his wrist. "Drink and feel better. If you do, I'll happily accompany you to your store and retire to my cubby for the evening."

"It isn't your cubby. It's my cubby. You're a guest."

"I promise you'll feel better, Phoebe." He moved a bit closer. "All of your wounds will vanish."

The thought of putting my mouth on an open wound brought my nausea back again. I had heard that vampire blood had healing properties but I wasn't sure if I wanted to test out the theory. It was a myth, after all. Vampires didn't want humans to know a lot of things. Still, Eric wanted me alive and healthy, so he wouldn't lie about something that might kill me. But did I want to drink his blood?

It was gross, but I didn't want to be lying in bed with Eric lurking around my house. The faster we got to Dallas, the faster we'd come back to Bon Temps. I awkwardly motioned for Eric to give me his arm and he did with great delight. After I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself, I pressed my lips to the two bite marks and started sucking on them like I would a straw.

The taste was so terrible I almost pulled away in favor of risking a week with Eric. But he gently held the back of my head while I drank and to my surprise, his fangs dropped into view again. Was it enjoyable for them to feel people sucking _their_ blood? I had heard it was an erotic experience for humans to be fed from. Eric made a growling sound and grabbed a fistful of my hair. Apparently the pleasure went both ways.

Eventually his blood began to taste a bit sweet, but Eric unwillingly pulled his arm away and licked the bite marks. I couldn't help but lick the remaining blood off my lips and found myself wishing for more. Did he turn me into a vampire? It couldn't be that easy to become one of them. Immortality always came at a price in books and movies. It had to be agonizing and take a long time.

Eric drew his fangs back in with a loud pop and showed me his now healed wrist. "I told you our blood has healing properties. I've heard from Sookie that it itches when you're getting better but it's worth it in the end."

Sure enough, I could feel the wounds in my legs knitting back together. I was afraid to look—what if it was bad luck?—but I could definitely tell I was healing up nicely. When I snuck a peek at my previously ravaged arm I was awed to see perfectly smooth skin where the injuries had been. The power of their blood was another thing vampires hid from humans, after all. I couldn't blame them. People would drain them dry if they knew what their undead counterparts could do.

"This is…amazing," I said, resisting the urge to scratch my legs. "Could this cure cancer?"

"It can cure anything, even repair detached body parts. I noticed you wear glasses. You won't need to any longer."

"But I was born with poor vision. I've had it all my life. Even that will just disappear?"

"Yes." As if to drive home the point, Eric picked my glasses up off the bedside table and snapped them in half. "You'll be healthy again in less than an hour. At that time, I'd like to leave for Dallas. I've already put some of your things away back in the duffel bags you arrived with."

It certainly wouldn't take an hour for me to feel better. I felt alive; I had just cheated death. Eric watched me leap out of bed and stretch my arms toward the ceiling, unashamed of the flimsy nightgown I was wearing. The bloodstains seemed out of place with my freshly healed body just beneath them. I was a new woman. Every molecule in the room was pinging together. I could hear them. I could taste the werewolf that had been attacking me hours before.

The sensation of my heart beating had never been so beautiful.

"This is amazing," I said.

"You just told me that," Eric said.

"I'm telling you again. If this is what drugs are like then count me in."

"After I've fed you're more than welcome to have some more," Eric crooned. "But I can't create my own blood so you'll have to wait a little while. Meet me downstairs and we'll head to Dallas."

"Wait," I said quickly before he could disappear. "Is this really all that happens? I feel better and have a weird trip? I'm not going to turn into a vampire or anything, right?"

Eric cocked his head innocently. "Of course not, Phoebe. I wouldn't take your fragile mortality from you." He smiled. It was too earnest for my liking. But before I could press him for more details he vanished from the room to the front hallway.

I examined my hands for a few more moments before heading out after him. Eric's blood has healed me but I had a bad feeling such magic came at a price.


End file.
